Bill Iffrig, a 78-year-old runner knocked
off his feet by the Boston
Marathon bombings, quickly got up and crossed the finish line.
We Get Knocked
Down, But Get Back Up Again (Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung, Germany)
"There is no rational explanation
for running 26.21 miles, even in Boston, the oldest marathon in the world. They
are symbols of the kind of physical performance no one really needs to achieve
to survive in the modern world. ... Without question, marathons will be better
secured in the future. But whether a terrorist strikes doesn't only depend on
the police. It also depends on how people react. The 78-year-old Bill Iffrig symbolizes the irrationality of sport, which can
triumph even in a moment of terror."
As one of the bombs exploded,
a white-haired runner in a red jersey crumpled to the ground. His photo spreads
across the world. After the attack on the Boston Marathon, police officers
helped the man to his feet while volunteers tended to the dead and wounded, and
cameras captured the horrific scene. He was one of the lucky ones, escaping
with only a scraped knee. And with a few more steps, he was across the finish
line. The runner, 78 year old Bill Iffrig, later said
that he had run 26 miles, and that he wasn't going to give up so close to
finishing. He is shocked by the attack, which cost three people their lives and
wounded approximately 140 others, some seriously. But he is also proud. In his
age group, he says he finished second [video below].
Posted By Worldmeets.US
There is no rational explanation for running 26.21 miles, even in
Boston, the oldest marathon in the world. And yet these long-distance runs are
street festivals with international appeal. They are symbols of the kind of
physical performance no one really needs to achieve to survive in the modern
world. A handful of top athletes race out in front, with about a zillion others
following behind, and hundreds of thousands cheering them on.
The terrible blasts have
turned the traditional marathon on Patriots' Day into a day of death and terror.
People who had trained for months or years to complete the run have lost their
legs. But should Bill Iffrig, perhaps, have stopped to help,
instead of staggering across the finish line?
Terror filled the crowds on
the streets of Boston on Monday, and as of Tuesday, its author was still unknown.
He struck at a symbol of the spirit of challenge, achievement, and the joy that
it brings: sport. One could simply go without sport altogether - unlike the
public transportation systems that were targeted for bombings in Madrid and
London and, fortunately without success, Germany. If were rational, perhaps we
should.
Finally, no 26-mile stretch
of road can be completely secured in any free country in the world. But what
does rationality mean when the challenge to conquer such a run has become part
of our lifestyle? In any case, Bill Iffrig wasn't
pondering this question when, as though in a trance, he got back up and kept on
running.
Without question, marathon
routes will be better secured in the future. But whether a terrorist strikes
doesn't only depend on the police. It also depends on how people react. Bill Iffrig symbolizes the irrationality of sport, which can
triumph even in a moment of terror.
